BAE Systems submarine Audacious looks the part
Last updated at 15:11, Thursday, 29 July 2010
TRAFFIC was brought to a halt by a huge section of submarine.
The 800-tonne section brought traffic to a standstill yesterday and dwarfed houses as it was moved 400-metres along Bridge Road in Barrow.
The move began just after 9.15am from BAE Systems’ Submarine Solutions New Assembly Shop.
It took just over 20 minutes to move the submarine section across Barrow Island to Devonshire Dock Hall.
The unit known as 6/7, is part of Audacious, the fourth Astute-class boat produced by the yard, and was designed to house the vessel’s command deck and auxiliary machinery modules.
The section was one of the largest sections moved by the yard since it constructed the Vanguard-class Trident submarines in the mid-1990s.
BAE Systems was unable to use its own multi-wheeled transporter to move the unit due to the gargantuan size and weight of the section. As a result, it had to contract the job out to Sarens, of Middlesbrough, which had a transport unit capable of making the move.
The company used a self-propelled transporter operated by remote control, which meant a member of the team walking at the rear of the section to drive the vehicle. Neil Lauderdale, a spokesman for BAE Systems, said the move went as smoothly as could be expected.
Mr Lauderdale said: “The move was a success. There were a lot of people out to see it.”
First published at 13:07, Thursday, 29 July 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
They may have moved it now the real work starts trying to commission it along with Boats 2 & 3
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Some shoddy English in this piece, seems to be quite a common occurence in the Evening Mail. Disappointing.
Posted by Reader on 30 July 2010 at 12:32